Apparatus for producing edible articles



June 27, 1944. E. D. POWERS ET AL APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING EDIBLEARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 11, 1959 Q E S NFQQ mmATTORNEYS June 27, 1944. E. D. POWERS ET AL 2,352,447

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING EDIBLE ARTICLES Original Filed Sept. 11, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet 2 F/aZ' INVENTO s g/ 040 490 0.0041555 ALBE/Qg; M. ,qew/v/sNEYS amed June'27, i944 2,352,441

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING EDIBLE ARTICLES 7Edward 1). Powers, Queenston, Ontario, and

ilbert M. Fennis, Niagara Falls, Ontario,

Substituted for abandonedapplieatiqn Serial No. 294,242, September 11,1939. This application July 18, 1942, Serial No. 451,414

'6 Claims. (Cl. 99-386) Thi application is a substitute application forThe carriages, upon which the formingdevices applicants abandonedapplication Serial No. are mounted and a plurality of which are pro-294,242, filed September 11, 1935) and the p esent vided, are secured toan endlessbelt or chain 23 inventionrelates to apparatus for producingan carried by sprocket wheels 24 and 25. Sprocket edible article, theinvention having particular re- 'wheel 24 is mounted on a shaft 26 whichis jourlation to apparatus for making sandwich naledin bearings 21extended from bracket it formed from a slice of bread and a ti er, suchas while sprocket wheel 25 is mounted on a shaft 28 a sausage, i'orexample; by formingthe bread journaled in bearings "formed on bracketit, around the filler, and while holding it so formed, Shaft 26 may bedriven by any suitable means, subjecting it to a toasting operation.those shown in the drawings consisting of a 0- According to. theinvention a conveyor belt" tor 3|, a reduction gear unit 32, drivepulley [33 may be provided with a forming devicecomprison thedrivemshaft of the gear unit, and an ing relatively movable sectionsupon which the endless belt 34 driven by pulley 33 and driving slices ofbread or the like are placed;'with the a pulley 35 fixed-to the shaft26. As the latter flller disposed thereupon. Means may be inrotates,moving the endless chain 23 over sprockcluded for effecting relativemovement of the secets 24 and in the direction indicated by artions: ofthe forming device for forming the sliced rows in Fig. 1, the carriages22 will move along material around the filler, and for then relativelytrack rails l6, around sprocket 24, along track moving the formingdevice into operative relarails l8 and then around sprocket 25,returning tion to a toasting device wherein the sliced ma 20 to trackrails It In order to enable the tongues terial may be toasted.The'toasting may be 0011- ii to enter into the ends of the channels ISin. tinueduntil the sliced material assumes a rather the rails I6 andI8, the mouths of the channels rigid condition and thus retains'theshape imare preferably widened as indicated at ill in parted to it bythe forming device, after its re-' Fig. -1. v moval therefrom. 2 Pivotedat 38 to each side of each carriage 22 .These and other objects andadvantages will is' a grille section 39 which, in the illustrated becomeapparentfrom thejullowing description embodiment, is composed of heavywire. Fiv of the typic l embodiments 0f the apparatus and otcd at 4| tothe free or outer edges. of inner articles of the invention shown in theaccomsections 39 are outer grille. sections 42 of form panying drawings,wherein: 39 similar to sections 39' but having" secured to their Fig. 1is a side elevatlonal view at forming outer oriree edges fingers 43having terminal and toasting. apparatus with parts thereof brokenportions slidlngly embracing guide rods 44. Each away; a of the latterconsists of a bottom portion 45 sup- Fig. 2 is a plan view of theapparatus shown .ported by brackets '40 and extending along and in Fig.1; beneath web |l, pa rallal tottrack rails l8,.the

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are cross sectional views taken bottom portions merginginto curved portions 46 in the planes indicated on Fig. 2 by the linesand 41 whose axes of curvature are -substantially 33,-44 and 5-5,respectively; concentric with shafts 28' and 29, respectively. Fig. 6 isa perspective view of one form' of the The curved portions 46 and" ofguide rods toasted sandwich; i merge respectively into portions '48 and49 which .Fig. 'I is an'end view ofa modified form of are parallel totrack rails l6. e

sandwich; and, --'1'he inner ends of guide rod portions 48 and.

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram illustrating an elecu .terminat m upwardlyinclined converging .trical circuit employed in the apparatus. 45portion/s n and n which are connected pot; The apparatus include a basehaving. tions 5:. The latter portions parallel rails l8 horizon-tal web,H gndtslggpql' igsg I but are smed farther mm the latter and are:23:25? l 311 'ive eacah hash s an m; disposed closer to each other thanare portions 48 or Portions 49:

l Y a r232: ississ paatwts.tazz si m y allel rails .IB beneathweb ll.The rails-serve i P wg hn ns Mira"? 6. isa 3x817- fr esrri, 2:, 5 hav ide ce 0 w 0 may cons st 0 two su an as track means 0 gas e tiallysemi-cylindrical casing-sections sup tongues 2i, slidingly-r'eceived inchannels I! formed in the rails and-extendinglengthwise porting ins t s56 upon hich a e unted them, I iii electrical resistanceelements 51,adapted to beoperation of the motor ii to the left, as the apparatus isviewed in Figs. 1

' rods 44 onto into a cylindrical shelraround the toasted sandwich maythan that used to in Fig. 6, the-sandwich shown in Fig. '7 may becomhighly heated by passage therethrough of an electric current.

In operation a slice of bread 58 may be placed upon the grille sections39 and '42 of the carriage 22 which is adjacent portion 49 of guiderods44 (in the position of the carriage illustrated in Fig. 3), and asuitable sandwich filler, such as a sausage 59, may be the carriage willmove and 2, and as it does so the fingers 43 on the outer grillesections 42 pass the'upwardly inclined and converg ing portions 52,causing sections 29 and 42 to pivot about their axes '38 andinto'partially closed position, and forming the slice of bread into the shapeindicated in Fig. 4.

As the movement or the carriage continues, fingers 43 'will be broughtcloser and closer together until they pass onto portions iii of rods44.- At this time the slice of bread will be formed the filler 59, itsopposite side edgesfil and 62 having been brought into adJacency-by'thesections 38, 42, and the sections 39? and 42will constitute asubstantially tubular grille around the bread. While in this conditionthe, sandwich will pass through thetoasting device '50 wherein the breadmay be toasted to the-desired degree.

As shown in I'fig. 5, while the sandwich is in the toasting device thebread 58, carriage grille sections 35 and 42, and thewalls and heatingelements 51 of the toasting device may all .be

' substantially concentric as illustrated, or may be slightly eccentric,so that uniform toasting of the. bread will resul Asmovement of thecarriage is continued, flngers 43, as they pass over rod portions 5|,will open the sections 39, 42, and when the fingers reach rod portions48 the sections will be in fully opened, substantially horizontalposition so that be removed; or, when the carriages 22 pass around thesprocket 24, inclining the opened grille sections, the sandwiches maybeautomatically discharged therefrom, being collected in a suitablecontainer, without necessity of being handled by th operator. Thetoasting operation will have transformed the bread into toast,-and thelatter, being relatively rigid. will retain the tubular form into whichit was folded by the grille sections, the finishedsandwich beingsubstantially as illustrated in Fig. 6.

By using slices of bread or slightly lesser width produce the sandwichshown produced, space thus being provided between edges GI and 62 forrelish 63 or the like material. The .motor 3| and toasting device 5|!may be connected to any suitable source of electrical energyandcontrolled by variou means,- either manual orautomatic, as for example,by tim or from portion 49 of 4 placed upon the bread. Upon causethemotor 3| to become energized. The time switch, of any suitableconstruction, may function to close the motor circuit for a suflicienteriod of time-to move a carriage 22 from a position adjacent guide rodportion 49 (where a slice of bread is placed on the grille sections 30,42) to a position within the toasting device; to

then open the motor circuit for-a period of time sufllcientto eifect thedesired degree of toasting; and then to recommence the cycle by closingthe otor circuit and causing the next carriage 22 to move from aposition adjacent guide rod portion" 28 into the .toasting device. Or,if desired, the switch 'Il may be openedandclosed manually by means oflever 12.

It will thus be understood that by'the apparatus of the presentinvention, toasted sandwiches maybe produced from ordinary sliced breadand suitable filler, the bread being formed about the tiller and thentoasted, causing it to retain the substantially tubular shape into whichit was formed;

It will be understood further that the apparatus herein illustrated anddescribed is merely illustrative of the inventive principles involvedand that the same principles may be otherwise embodied without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a forming device ofsubstantially tubular form, the body of said forming device comprising apillrality of sectionshaving articulated connection to each otherwhereby said forming device may be opened to receive a slicecf toastableedible material and closed to bend said slice to substantially tubularform, the body of said forming de-' vice comprising a relatively openframework whereby themajor portion of the exterior sur-; face-of theslice is exposed therethrough and a toasting device adapted .to receivesaid forming temperature responsive means. In the illustratedarrangement shown in Fig. 8 the resistance ele- "ment 51 of the toastingdevice-is connected in,

switch 'H with manual control lever I2.

the apparatus may be With this arrangement, set into operation byclosing switch 68, which will cause the heating element 51 to becomeheated. and, subject to control of time'switch II, will by wires 69.

device for toastin a tubular slice contained therein.

2. In apparatus of th class described, a track, an openwork grilleadapted to receive a slice of toastable edible material and-means formoving said grille along said track, said grille comprising a pluralityof sections hinged together, means ,forfolding said sections of thegrille to dispose said slice into substantially tubular form as thegrille moves along the track, and a toasting device through while thegrille passes with the sectionsthereof so folded.

3-. In apparatus of the class described, a track,

- a carriage movable upon the track, said carriage having an openworkgrille comprising a plurality of hinged sections, and means operable by.

and upon movement of the carriage along the track for folding saidsections to shape into substantially tubular form a slice of bread thatis carried thereby.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a forming device adaptedto,receive a slice of toastable edible material, guide means forsaid,forming device and means for moving the latter along said guidemeans, means for changing the shape of said forming device as it ismoved along said guide means to bend said slice into predetermined formwhile leaving the surface thereofexposed, and means .for toasting theexposed-surface of said slice while the latter is held bent in I theforming device whereby said toasted slice retains its bent form afterremoval from the apparatus.

5. In apparatus 0! the class described, a carriage and guide means alongwhich said carriage is movable, said carriage havinga forming surface.adapted to receive a slice of bread, and

means operable by and upon movement of the 6 carriage upon the guidemeans for changing the shape of said forming surface to bend the sliceof bread carried thereby into substantially tubular form.

less track, a carriage movable upon the track,

said carriage having an openwori: grille compris ment of said sectionsto close them into substantially tubular form as they approach saidtoasting device and to open them as they pass beyond said toastingdevice.

EDWARD D. POWERS. ALBERT M. FENNIS.

' CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,552, m-7- June 27, 19M.

EDWARD D. POWERS ET AL- 4 It is hereby certified that error appears inthe printed specification of the above numbered patent requiringcorrection as followe: Page 2 second column, 1ine'55, claim 2, for the.word while read -which-; and that the said Letters Patent should be readwith this correction therein that the same may conform to the record ofthe casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of August, A. D- 191411..

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

